I was working cattle at a friend’s house the other day and saw this verse hanging on the wall in front of the chute.
I really like the book of Proverbs, and couldn’t wait to get home to look up the verse. Here’s what it says: “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” Proverbs 16:32.
Huh. It was perfect! Anyone who has worked around livestock or more specifically, worked around livestock with their loved ones, knows what a high-stress, high-pressure situation it is.
I mean, when working cattle, it is not uncommon for a husband to ask his sweet wife-y to stand in the alleyway or gate hole and turn the cows. And the sweet wife-y dutifully does as she is told…until that first cow is a hair’s breadth away and seems completely oblivious to the arm flailing and hollering the sweet wife-y is doing. At which point, the sweet wife-y jumps out of the way and the whole herd of cows flows into the neighbor’s corn field. Which leads the sweet husband to fly off the handle in a swear-laden outburst. Which leads the sweet wife-y to defend her position and explain why she had to save herself and let the cows into the neighbor’s corn, which only causes the husband to furrow his brow and continue with his rant.
This goes on for a bit until the sweet wife-y begins to cry and marches to the house.
(This is all completely hypothetical by the way…)
So anyway, when I read the verse, I was like, “YES! This is exactly what I need to reflect on every time I work cattle.” (Which is daily, it seems.)
I love how God can speak to me at the most unusual moments…like when I have my arm up a cow’s backside and glance at a verse on a wall.
God is so good!